Manually operated marking torque wrench

ABSTRACT

A marking wrench has a conventional torque-limiting, overcenter connection between its operating handle and a tubular socket-type wrench. The handle fixedly mounts an elongated, laterally offset and forwardly extending operator arm, which extends just beyond the axis of the wrench socket, at one side of that axis. The socket end slidably guides a plunger or tappet coaxial with the socket; and a conical cam element at the top of the tappet is engaged cammingly by the operator arm when the over-center connection is broken. This causes the tappet to operate a felttipped marker to mark a fastener engaged by the socket jaw, the marker being coaxially slidable in the socket.

United States Patent Lance [451 June 6, 1972 [541 MANUALLY OPERATEDMARKING [22] Filed: July 13, 1970 [21] Appl.No.: 54,465

Dunlap et al. ..8 l/52.5

Hines et al. ..8 l/52.4 Gill ..8 l/52.3

Primary Examiner-James L. Jones, Jr. Attorney-Whittemore, Hulbert &Belknap ABSTRACT A marking .wrench has a conventional torque-limiting,overcenter connection between its operating handle and a tubularsocket-type wrench. The handle fixedly mounts an elongated, laterallyofiset and forwardly extending operator arm, which extends just beyondthe axis of the wrench socket, at one side of that axis. The socket endslidably guides a plunger or tappet coaxial with the socket; and aconical cam element at the top of the tappet is engaged cammingly by theoperator arm when the over-center connection is broken. This causes thetappet to operate a felt-tipped marker to mark a fastener engaged by thesocket jaw, the marker being coaxially slidable in the socket.

13 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJUN s 1912 3. 667, 327

INVENT OR CH RI 5 TOPHER JAMES LA A TORNEYS MANUALLY OPERATED MARKINGTORQUE WRENCH CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The wrench finds typical use in manyassemblies employing nuts, studs, bolts, capscrews or like hex-orsimilarly headed fasteners in which it is an important requirement thatall be taken up to an identical limited torque applied to the head ofthe fastener, the mark being also applied to the head for readyvisibility. I Y

2. Description of the Prior Art:

The patent to Woods, US. Pat. No. 2,743,638 of May l, 1956, shows atorque release wrench functioning to the same general end as the presenttool, but lacking marking means. The patent to Hines et al, US. Pat. No.3,009,371 of Nov. 21, 1961, deals with part marking means of a highlycomplex and expensive nature embodied in a socket-type wrench. Thepatent to Dunham, US. Pat. No. 2,901,934 of Sept. 1, 1959, shows a felttype marker which is incorporated in a non-torque limiting type ofwrench.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention resides in a combined torquelimiting and marking, socket-type of wrench which may, if desired, alsohave a known sort of ratcheting feature, though not shown herein. Thewrench is constituted by extremely simple and reliable operatingcomponents, including an elongated operating handle having a tubularhead-engaging wrench socket connected at 90 to the plane of swing of thehandle, this through the agency of a simple over-center, toggle-typepivot device of 4 a known sort.

An elongated forwardly projecting arm extension of the tool s operatinghandle serves as an actuator or operator for a marking unit in thewrench socket, spanning the pivot point at which the handle and socketare connected; and this operator arm cammingly actuates the marker unit,as mentioned in the Abstract.

The marker unit is of a very simple nature, including a cylindrical inkcontainer supplying a felt tip, the container being rcmovably receivedwithin the wrench socket about the latter's jaw, for replacement orreplenishment, as desired. The container is driven down by thecam-actuated tappet to cause its felt tip to mark the fastener head whenthe intended torque limit is reached.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. I is a view in vertical crosssection, as on line ll of FIG. 2, showing features of the wrench in anot-yet-operated position of its parts;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 1, but with the wrench andmarker parts operated to mark a bolt head; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view in horizontal cross-section on line 3-3 ofFIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The wrench of the invention,generally designated by the reference numeral 10, is herein shown anddescribed as being of a tubular socket-type having a felt tipped markerunit 12 for the marking of the head (FIG. 2) of a bolt or like fastener,generally designated F, threadedly applied to secure plate or otherparts P, P. It is to be understood that the tool 10 is of course capableof use in the torsion-limited and mark-identifying tightening of varioustypes of hex-or otherwise headed screw, stud, or nut-like components.

or lever 16 about pivot pin 15 relative to the handle when the criticalpreset torque force is applied to the fastener F, as limited by themeans now described.

The arm 17 extends within handle 10, and at its rear end has anover-center toggle-type engagement, as through the agency of a specialquadrihedral pivot piece or block 18, with an end of a solid cylindricalblock member 19, which floats with lateral clearance in the cylindricalhandle tube 14. Member 19 is rearwardly sustained by a compression coilspring 20 of appropriate rating; and the rear end of spring 20 bottomsagainst and is adjustably sustained by a set screw 21, which takesthreadedly into an abutment piece 22 fixedly received in the bore ofhandle 12. This permits the force of spring 20 to be adjusted asdesired.

Again, it is pointed out that the over-center toggle-type adjustingdevice, as described above and generally designated 24, is constitutedby provisions also illustrated and described in the above-identifiedpatent to Woods, but the device 24 may be any other equivalent andsuitable type, for example, as illustrated and described in myco-pending application, Ser. No. 54,466, mentioned above.

A socket-type, fastener engaging and torquing wrench member of the tool10 is generallydesignated by the reference numeral 26. It may in generalbe of an entirely conventional type, including a fastener engaging hexor like jaw formation 27 at the open lower end of its tubular socketbody 28. By preference the socket body 28 has a releasable threadedconnection at 29, opposite its jaw 27, with a boss-like socket body 30,which is shown as being integral with and offset from a forward armportion 31 of the pivoted torque transmitter lever l6.- It is to beunderstood that the wrench 10 is preferred to be of a well-knownreversibly ratcheting, click type; in this event the socket body 30 willbe of a more elaborate nature incorporating known pawl and ratchetprovisions. However, in the interest of simplicity no such elaborationhas been indulged in, nor is it considered to bep'art of the invention.

A counterbore 32 of the tubular wrench socket 28 above the fastener headengaging jaw 27 coaxially receives a cylindrical ink container 33 of themarking unit 12; and the lower end of container 33 rests upon, and isnormally held upwardly, by a coil compression return spring 34. Thespring bottoms at an annular shoulder 35 between the socket counterbore32 and jaw formation 27. An adapter collar 36 of the ink container 33presents a felt marking tip 37 coaxially of the latter; and the tip iscontinually supplied with ink from the replenishable content ofcontainer 33. The arrangement is such that, in the unoperated conditionof the marking tool 10 which appears in FIG. 1, the tip 37 will extendaxially a slight distance into the socket jaw formation 27.

The ink container 33 is received within socket counterbore 32 with agenerous radial clearance, and is engaged coaxially at its top by anelongated operating plunger or tappet 38. This tappet 38 is looselyguided with appreciable clearance in a cylindrical bore 40 extendingaxially through the body or boss portion 30 of the torque applying leverarm 31; and at its upper end, substantially above the top of the body30, the tappet 38 is provided with a cone-shaped cam head 41.

Adjacent its forward end, and slightly to the rear of its pivot pin 15,the tubular handle member 14 has a transverse, reentrantly grooved seatmember 42 rigidly secured to its upper surface, as by welding at 43(FIG. 1), which member 42 matingly receives an inverted T-shaped tongueformation or member 44. This formation 44 is integral with the rear endof an elongated, upwardly offset and forwardly projecting actuator arm45. A tongue-and-groove connection of this sort enation to handle 12,extending parallel with the latter, and this type of connection may bean adjustable one, if desired. Thus, an Allen type socket screw 46threaded into the tongue member 44 to engage the groove member 42 willenable a limited adjustment of the position of actuator arm 45, if suchis desired, followed by a tightening of the screw 46 to hold theadjustment. 7

The forward end of the actuator 45 projects somewhat past the uprightaxis of the tappet 38 and its conical cam head 41 and to one side ofsaid axis, in the nonoperated condition of tool 10 (FIG. 1). The arm endmay have no normal engagement with the cam cone head 41, as projectedupwardly by the coil return spring 34 acting through marker container 33and tappet 38. However, some degree of engagement is desirable, forexample, to take up looseness and to assist in return cambiasing the arm45 toward parallelism with lever arm 31 after an operation is finished.

Referring to FIG. 2, when the bolt, stud, or other fastener F, asengaged at its head I: by the wrench socket jaw 27, has been taken up tothe desired torque value, a further swing of the handle 12 in thetorquing direction causes the over-center toggle connection 24 to bebroken, with the result that actuator arm 45 swings relative to the camcone head 41 of tappet 38. This, as shown in FIG. 2, causes thatformation and tappet 38 to be depressed downwardly, correspondinglydisplacing the marker unit 12. The latter's felt tip 37 is engaged withsubstantial force on the top of head it of fastener F, imparting thedesired torque indicium to the top of the head. With parts P, P,appropriately bolt-secured, removal of the wrench socket 26 enablesreturn spring 34 to restoremarker unit 12 and tappet 38 upwardly to thepositions of FIG. 1, assisting in retuming'arm 31 to parallelism withhandle and placing the tool 10 in acondition ready for anotheroperation.

Inasmuch as an accidental impacting of the tappet cam head ing movementof the handle and wrench members to so move 41 might cause an undesiredpremature marking of the fastener, a cap-like protective cover 48 isremovably telescoped snugly onto the top of the wrench arm boss or body30, being provided with a laterally opening slot 49 through which theactuator arm 45 works.

j WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

. I. A marking wrench for a fastener or like element, comprising ahandle member, a wrench member engageable with the element to apply apredetermined torque to the latter,

over-center type torque transmitting means pivotally connecting saidhandle and wrench members and enabling a swinging movement thereofrelative to one another when said predetermined torque is reached, amarker adjacent and movable relative to said wrench member and to awrench-engaged element to mark the latter, one of said members carryinga mechanical actuator to operate said marker, and tappet means operatedby said actuator upon said relative swinging movement of said wrench andhandle members to so bodily move said actuator and cause the marker tomark the fastener element.

'2. The wrench of claim 1, in which said actuator is fixedly .carried bythe handle member.

3. A marking wrench for a fastener or like element, comprising a handlemember, a wrench member engageable with the element to apply apredetermined torque to the latter, over-center type torque transmittingmeans pivotally connecting said handle and wrench members and enabling aswinging movement thereof relative to one another when saidpredetermined torque is reached, a marker adjacent and movable relativeto said wrench member and to a wrench-engaged element to mark thelatter, one of said members carrying an actuator to operate said marker,and tappet means operated by said actuator upon said relative swingingmovement of said wrench and handle members to so move said marker to'mark the fastener element, said tappet means having a cam portioncammingly engaged by said actuator upon said relative swingthe markerthrough the agency of said ta pet means.

4. The wrench of claim I, in which sai mechanical actuator is fixedlycarried by the handle member, said tappet member having a cam portioncammingly engaged by said actuator upon said relative swinging movementof the handle and wrench members to so move the marker through theagency of said tappet member.

5. The .wrench of claim 1, in which said wrench member has a tubularsocket to engage the fastener element, the marker being disposed in saidsocket.

6. The wrench of claim 2, in which said wrench member hw a tubularsocket to engage the fastener element, the marker being disposed in saidsocket for engagement by said tappet member.

7. The wrench of claim 6, in whichsaid tappet member operates axially ofthe wrench socket in-moving the marker, said actuator extendingforwardly of the handle member for swinging engagement with the tappetmember cam portion in a plane normal to the socket and tappet memberaxis.

8. A marking wrench tool for a headed fastener, comprising an elongatedswingable handle, a wrench having a tubular socket with an axis at 90 tothe plane of swing of the handle and engageable with the fastener headto apply a predetermined torque to the latter, said handle having anelongated mechanical actuator fixed thereon and extending longitudinallyforwardly thereof to operate at an actuator end adjacent said wrenchsocket, over-center type means within said handle pivotally connectingsaid handle and wrench to transmit torque from the former to the latterand to afford a swinging movement thereof relative to one another whensaid predetermined torque is reached, a marking unit operating axiallyin said socket to mark a fastener inthe socket, and an actuating tappetoperated axially of the socket by said' mechanical actuator upon saidrelative swinging of said handle and wrench to move said marking elementunit for marking action on said fastener head. I

9. A marking wrench tool for a headed fastener, comprising an elongatedswingable handle, a wrench having a tubular socket with an axis at 90 tothe plane of swing of the handle and engageable with the fastener headto apply a predetermined torque to the latter, said handle having anelongated actuator fixed thereon and extending longitudinally forwardlythereof to operate at an actuator end adjacent said wrench socket,over-center type means within said handle pivotally connecting saidhandle and wrench to transmittorque from the fonner to the latter and toafford a swinging movement relative to one another when saidpredetermined torque is reached, a marking unit operating axially insaid socket to mark a fastener in the socket, and an actuating tappetoperated axially of the socket by said actuator upon said relativeswinging of said handle and wrench to move said marking element unit formarking action on said fastener head, said tappet having a shaped camformation which is engagedby said actuator to operate the marker throughthe tappet.

10. The tool of claim 9 in which the shaped cam formation is located atan end of said tappet, said cam formation being engaged by said actuatorto operate the marker through the tappet. I

11. The tool of claim 9 and further'comprising spring means normallybiasing the marker in a direction opposite that in which it operates themarker.

1. A marking wrench for a fastener or like element, comprising a handlemember, a wrench member engageable with the element to apply apredetermined torque to the latter, over-center type torque transmittingmeans pivotally connecting said handle and wrench members and enabling aswinging movement thereof relative to one another when saidpredetermined torque is reached, a marker adjacent and movable relativeto said wrench member and to a wrench-engaged element to mark thelatter, one of said members carrying a mechanicAl actuator to operatesaid marker, and tappet means operated by said actuator upon saidrelative swinging movement of said wrench and handle members to sobodily move said actuator and cause the marker to mark the fastenerelement.
 2. The wrench of claim 1, in which said actuator is fixedlycarried by the handle member.
 3. A marking wrench for a fastener or likeelement, comprising a handle member, a wrench member engageable with theelement to apply a predetermined torque to the latter, over-center typetorque transmitting means pivotally connecting said handle and wrenchmembers and enabling a swinging movement thereof relative to one anotherwhen said predetermined torque is reached, a marker adjacent and movablerelative to said wrench member and to a wrench-engaged element to markthe latter, one of said members carrying an actuator to operate saidmarker, and tappet means operated by said actuator upon said relativeswinging movement of said wrench and handle members to so move saidmarker to mark the fastener element, said tappet means having a camportion cammingly engaged by said actuator upon said relative swingingmovement of the handle and wrench members to so move the marker throughthe agency of said tappet means.
 4. The wrench of claim 1, in which saidmechanical actuator is fixedly carried by the handle member, said tappetmember having a cam portion cammingly engaged by said actuator upon saidrelative swinging movement of the handle and wrench members to so movethe marker through the agency of said tappet member.
 5. The wrench ofclaim 1, in which said wrench member has a tubular socket to engage thefastener element, the marker being disposed in said socket.
 6. Thewrench of claim 2, in which said wrench member has a tubular socket toengage the fastener element, the marker being disposed in said socketfor engagement by said tappet member.
 7. The wrench of claim 6, in whichsaid tappet member operates axially of the wrench socket in moving themarker, said actuator extending forwardly of the handle member forswinging engagement with the tappet member cam portion in a plane normalto the socket and tappet member axis.
 8. A marking wrench tool for aheaded fastener, comprising an elongated swingable handle, a wrenchhaving a tubular socket with an axis at 90* to the plane of swing of thehandle and engageable with the fastener head to apply a predeterminedtorque to the latter, said handle having an elongated mechanicalactuator fixed thereon and extending longitudinally forwardly thereof tooperate at an actuator end adjacent said wrench socket, over-center typemeans within said handle pivotally connecting said handle and wrench totransmit torque from the former to the latter and to afford a swingingmovement thereof relative to one another when said predetermined torqueis reached, a marking unit operating axially in said socket to mark afastener in the socket, and an actuating tappet operated axially of thesocket by said mechanical actuator upon said relative swinging of saidhandle and wrench to move said marking element unit for marking actionon said fastener head.
 9. A marking wrench tool for a headed fastener,comprising an elongated swingable handle, a wrench having a tubularsocket with an axis at 90* to the plane of swing of the handle andengageable with the fastener head to apply a predetermined torque to thelatter, said handle having an elongated actuator fixed thereon andextending longitudinally forwardly thereof to operate at an actuator endadjacent said wrench socket, over-center type means within said handlepivotally connecting said handle and wrench to transmit torque from theformer to the latter and to afford a swinging movement relative to oneanother when said predetermined torque is reached, a marking unitoperating axially in said socket to mark a fastener in the socket, andan actuating tappet operated axially of the socket by said actuator uponsaid relative swinging of said handle and wrench to move said markingelement unit for marking action on said fastener head, said tappethaving a shaped cam formation which is engaged by said actuator tooperate the marker through the tappet.
 10. The tool of claim 9 in whichthe shaped cam formation is located at an end of said tappet, said camformation being engaged by said actuator to operate the marker throughthe tappet.
 11. The tool of claim 9 and further comprising spring meansnormally biasing the marker in a direction opposite that in which itoperates the marker.
 12. The tool of claim 11, in which said camformation and spring means are within said socket, and furthercomprising a protective cover applied to an end of said socket inshielding relation to said cam formation.
 13. The marking wrench ofclaim 1 wherein said mechanical actuator is fixedly carried by said oneof said members to move bodily with the latter in the relative swing ofsaid members.